Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S Review

When
Microsoft revealed the new Windows 8 interface, it was clearly designed with touchscreens in mind. It's still struggling to find its place in the app market, though it stills reigns supreme in the productivity arena. As such, manufacturers have introduced us to various hybrid models which effectively straddle the world of tablet and laptop. Lenovo wowed the tech sphere when they introduced the Yoga 13 in late 2012, and now they have released the IdeaPad Yoga 11S, the latest in the Yoga line, offering a more portable hybrid at a mid-range price.

One thing which endears the IdeaPad Yoga 11s to me is that Lenovo clearly designed it as a portable laptop first and foremost. The 11.73"x8.03"x0.67" body is surprisingly lightweight (just a hair over 3lbs.) and easy to sling under your arm and use on the go. The body calls to mind the standard laptop styling, though we'll get into the "yoga" part of the Yoga 11s in a bit.

Windows 8 works beautifully with a touch screen and the 10-point touch screen is responsive as is the trackpad, which has multiple touch points. It even has a palm guard which is handy with the small keyboard space. The keyboard is not backlit but it's surprisingly substantial and felt great when typing. As a person who "types with purpose," the feel of the keys is a big point for me. The on-screen, touch keyboard is quite good, but the physical keys are where it's at. It's amazing how quickly we are willing to abandon the mouse and trackpad, yet still cling to an actual keyboard (as opposed to touch).

Speaking of the keyboard, let's discuss the display or tent mode, which is a tremendous feature of the Yoga series. The screen is able to fold backward, similar to a newspaper. My favorite way to use this is in stand mode, as seen above. The wide, 11" screen is perfectly displayed and is so sturdy, you can use the touch screen keyboard without it budging or folding further. As a person who often expresses frustration with roll-down tablet covers because of their instability, this is a great feature. I used it to watch videos, demonstrate bells and whistles to friends and even search around on the web. The tent mode was rather neat, as well.

As you can see from photos, when you fold all the way into tablet mode you are, essentially, turning the laptop inside out. This means the keyboard is exposed on the backside. Granted, Lenovo realized this and, once the Yoga is folded past a certain degree, the keyboard is automatically turned off, but it makes for an awkward tablet experience. I tend to be very fidgety, and trying to read on the train with the Yoga 11S often involved me mindlessly tapping the keyboard. Also, it seems like a good way to get dust and dirt trapped in the keys. Not that the 11" screen makes for an on-the-go tablet experience -- it does tend to feel a little bulky. (But in the kitchen? Adore it!)

This is, of course, in direct contrast to the comfort of using it in laptop mode. The magnesium aluminum alloy chassis has a nice non-slip, rubberized finish which is sturdy and has a high-quality feel to it.

The body features a USB 3.0 and a USB 2.0 port, as well as an HDMI port and an SD card reader. Depending on how you plan to use the Yoga, the single USB ports may come as a let down. Fortunately, the Yoga 11S also comes with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and optional BlueTooth, making connectivity to the cloud quick and easy. I personally didn't lament the solo 3.0 slot. The built-in camera is surprisingly good, as are the speakers. Listening to music provided pleasant results, with consistent sound quality at various audio levels. Display aficionados may scoff at the 1366 x 768 display, but on the 11" screen, it actually feels acceptable.

Oddly, Lenovo went with the older
Intel Core i5 i5-3339Y processor. This is most noticeable on the battery life which is one of the less wonderful features. Lenovo promises "> 6 hours," but I generally found the battery life to clock in a little over 5 hours with general productivity stuff such as MS Office and basic web browsing. Listening to music or watching videos greatly reduced this. The processor may also contribute to the considerable warmth of the heat vents on the back. In laptop mode, it wasn't terribly noticeable (in the winter months it would be a welcome thigh warmer), but when using as a tablet, it was occasionally uncomfortable. The particular model I reviewed weighs in at $999 which isn't obscene, but it did made the battery and the heat more disappointing than it would have otherwise seemed.

The 256GB SSD means the IdeaPad Yoga 11S starts up like a dream and with 8GB of RAM, it juggled several applications relatively well. As a serial multitasker, I often found myself bouncing between Word, Excel, Chrome, Spotify and Skype, and the Yoga remained fairly flexible (heh). The only time I ran into any stubbornness is when I tried to add the more intensive InDesign to the mix of programs.

Of all the laptops I've played on as of late, the IdeaPad Yoga 11S is easily one of my favorites. Its petite, relatively lightweight, rugged chassis is lovely to hold and the keyboard is fantastic. Of the hybrids I've tested, this feels more like a laptop first and a tablet second, but that's not to say its tablet functionality isn't there. The 10-point touch screen is responsive and the fact that it can fold over into a stand mode, making the touch screen more accessible is great -- in fact, it's hard to not be smitten with the design and functionality.

The biggest caveat for it is the processor. With Intel's next gen on the line, it's possible that many potential buyers will wait for the inevitable upgrade phase, though Lenovo has not yet announced plans for such. If you're looking for a strong, Windows 8 productivity machine and are willing to travel with or be tethered to your plug, the IdeaPad Yoga 11S packs some good bang for your buck.